Between The Lines
by emeraldteardrops
Summary: Set after Message. The Ronins received their new armors but never had to use them. Rowen believes they're missing something. Rating for some mild language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hello everyone! This is my first Ronin Warriors fanfic, hope you like. Constructive critcism welcome. I don't own Ronin Warriors or the coffeeshop.

**Between The Lines**

Chapter One

Rowen slid deeper into his seat, ignoring the people as they moved around him. His nose was buried in a book and anyone who passed by would immediately assume that he was oblivious to the world that surrounded him, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Rowen always knew; he missed little. But that didn't change the way he would pretend. Rowen liked to play little games like this with himself and his world. The purpose and results were never explained. It wasn't like anyone knew what he was doing anyways. Well, except for one person.

Across the table sat a tall blonde man, who, unlike his companion, was actually reading the paper in front of him. Calmly, as if with studied precision, the man would gracefully raise his teacup to his lips. Each sip was the same; each movement of the cup was the same. After five years of knowing him, Sage never differed, never tossed it up and tried it a new way. Never. Not once. Sometimes Rowen would get irrationally irritated with the repetition and try to force Sage to go crazy and lose his calm coolness. It never worked. The teacup rose again at the same speed, the sip the same appropriate small mouthful. The same. The same. It was always the same!

"Just say it."

Rowen looked up at his companion, who was now eyeing him from over the top of his paper.

"Say what?" Rowen responded, noticing the grumpy tone. Well, a guy was allowed to be grumpy every once in awhile, wasn't he?

"Say whatever it is that is currently bothering you as we sit here. The noise, the lack of noise, the amount of people? The way the girl behind me is tapping her fingers, the font on my newspaper, the angle that the table meets with the wall being not exactly ninety degrees because of the bump in the wood? Or maybe something so simple as the fact that I like to drink my tea in even intervals?"

"…You're creepy." A blonde eyebrow twitched amusedly.

"And you're easy to read, my friend."

"What are we doing here Sage?" Rowen demanded suddenly, sitting up straighter and tossing his book down on the table with a thump. The girl behind Sage started slightly at the noise. The warrior of Halo merely raised an eyebrow higher and lowered his newspaper. Calmly.

"I assumed it was the same thing we do every Monday afternoon. We have tea and coffee and I relax and you get over caffeinated and find reasons to go on rants. Why? Am I wrong?"

"I don't go on rants every Monday afternoon."

"Wanna bet?"

"Okay fine," Rowen sighed, leaning forward and staring intently at his friend. "But what are we doing here?"

Sage leaned back in his seat, a look of resignation on his face. He didn't answer because he knew it was a rhetorical question. It was just Rowen's way of warming up to the subject he was about to launch into. Just once, Sage wished that they could just have a nice relaxing lunch. But Rowen hadn't been relaxed for a very long time now, and these rants were a way of him working off some of his frustration. If it helped, Sage was willing to sit through it. Goodness knows Rowen had sat with Sage through worse.

"I think we're stuck, all of us. We're stuck in these same routines, day in and day out, just going about our business, living our lives. We have our schools and our jobs and our cars and our dates and appointments to make. We schedule meetings and style our hair, some of us more than others (at this Sage gave him a dirty look, but Rowen plowed right on), and we try to look our best as we go out into the world, and for what? What do we have? Where are we going? Is there any one of us who has made any momentous achievement? Are we successful? Are we happy? Have we achieved the middle upper class financial status that defines those of this society that have reached the point of leaning back and saying 'thanks, I know I've done my part and yes, I am a role model'?"

Rowen took a breath, but only a quick one.

"We were chosen as the only ones with the abilities to be able to save this world from dangers that no one, not even the military, could fight, and we were able to do this as kids, as teenagers! And here we sit, drinking our tea and coffee and watching people pass by until it's time to go back to work and school and realize that we are one hundred percent exactly like everyone else around us. That we are, we're…"

"Normal?" Rowen looked up at Sage, realizing that in his rant he'd started staring at the table and rearranging the coffee creamer packets in an arrowhead design.

"Normal? No! Normal would be okay with this. Normal would be proud of where we are, normal would be not looking around and realizing that there is something so inherently wrong with being so, so…"

"Normal."

"No! Okay Sage, I know where you're leading this and you're going to assume that because of what I've said so far that I'm unable, after all these years, to accept a more average role in society and that the occurrences in our teen years has over inflated my sense of self and that I'm suffering from post-traumatic-hero-disorder and that can't be possibly further from the truth. The truth is that we aren't normal! We never have been and to assume that now we are is just asinine! How many other people in this city, or any city for that matter, can point out the direction of their four best friends while blindfolded and not have talked to them in a week? If we were normal now, some of that stuff should have gone away. Maybe left residuals, but it should be mostly gone! But it's not Sage! I wake up every morning feeling as if all I want to do is to go fly and shoot some stuff-"

At this point Rowen's voice had risen and several tables were looking over in their direction. Sage shot Rowen a look and the warrior of Strata lowered his voice, if not his intensity,

"I wake up and want to fly, not to go make my way in the workplace."

"Are you sure that's not just a personal issue?" Sage joked but Rowen refused to rise to the bait.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm wrong. That logic doesn't say that by now we all should be at the top of our respective fields, or we should be off fighting and…doing what we used to do. Or doing something…special. Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."

"I think that you're too young for a midlife crisis."

"Sage!"

"Fine." Sage looked out the window briefly, eyes lost in the distance. "Fine Rowen. I do think that maybe things haven't turned out exceptional. But I think it's irrational to assume just because we were the right guys for some…stuff…when we were younger, that we would have to carry that momentum our entire lives."

"But that's the thing Sage. We never carried the momentum. It always swept us away. Then one day it was like we all paused mid-step and have been in a holding pattern ever since. Something…anything should have happened by now!"

Rowen went quiet for a moment and looked down at his hands. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, almost hesitant.

"I think we should put on the armors again." Sage's head snapped forward, and one violet eye drilled into his friend.

"I think you need to be careful what you're saying and where," Sage said, not kindly. Rowen looked up and his dark blue eyes narrowed.

"And I think you're just as close to it as I am. And I think you're hiding something from me, Sage." At that the tall man stood, dropping a bill on the table angrily.

"Go home Rowen. Get some sleep. You're becoming paranoid. It's getting old." Rowen stood hurriedly, realizing he'd struck a nerve. He grabbed for his friend's arm to stop him.

"Seiji-" Rowen started, but Sage shook his arm out of his grasp.

"Later, Touma." At that Sage left, blonde hair blowing in the wind and obscuring his face. As Rowen turned to leave the restaurant, and the prying eyes of the people who'd witnessed the argument, Rowen knew he was right. He'd definitely struck a nerve.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hello everyone! I wanted to say thanks for the reviews, they made my day grins happily. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Oh, and I don't own the Ronin Warriors.

**Between The Lines**

Chapter Two

Sage slipped through the woods near his home, the pretense of merely wandering in his body language. His arms swung naturally by his sides, his shoulders relaxed. His steps were easy; he didn't rush, he didn't linger. He also didn't tell the truth. There was a reason he was going where he was going. Sage just wasn't ready to admit it to himself quite yet.

Sage had always preferred to be brutally honest, internally and externally, although his outer self usually managed it with a mode of decorum that befitted his station in life. So it was with almost embarrassment that he continued his trek, a walk he'd made every day now for almost two weeks. Was he hiding something from Rowen? Of course. But Rowen didn't get to know that until Sage had managed to resolve the issue himself. After all, just because they were all in this together didn't mean that they all had to know exactly what was going on in each of them.

"As if you know what's going on with you," Sage muttered under his breath, a slight bitterness in his tone chilling the otherwise warm day. Sage pulled his light jacket tighter around his body, steps slowing slightly. He came to a stop in a small clearing. It wasn't much, just a couple feet of bare ground beneath the trees that loomed overhead. Yet here he had been coming for weeks now, draw by something inexplicable. Something more than he could understand.

Sage moved into the clearing and sat down gingerly on the hard packed dirt, shifting so not to sit directly on any unearthed tree roots. Last time he'd not paid enough attention and had ended up with an inconvenient and mildly embarrassing bruise. Settling down, Sage folded his legs and arms peacefully about him, feeling the breeze gently stir through the woods. He closed his eyes, letting his body melt within him, until he felt whole and at peace. His mind drifted…

He drifted…the wind brushed his face with feathery touches and the heat of the sunlight filtered through the leaves, warming his skin. The sounds of nature were quiet here; the rustling of leaves, the chirping of insects, the trilling song of a small blue bird. All quiet and soothing. Sage drifted…

He drifted, feeling his mind starting to go fuzzy, his concentration leaving. The warmth on his skin increased and lulled him into a sense of security, of well-being. His mind flicked back and forth from images rising unbidden. Moments as a child, playing in the sand. Moments as a young man, confused and angry, inwardly fighting his demons. Moments as a young man, now outwardly fighting demons. Moments as an old man, reflecting back on his life, sighing one last sigh as he laid his demons to rest. Moments of life and love and places he'd seen and never seen. Touches of fingertips across his brow, lovers' hands he'd never known. Yet he knew them. He knew them as he drifted.

He drifted…the world around him shifted in color and spectrum. He moved within his world, breathing and tasting and living on a level he'd previously never known. He drifted but faster, exhilarating in the feelings. The warmth on his skin increased.

Deep down a voice was warning him that this was wrong. That he was losing control. But he didn't know what he wasn't in control of. The warmth on his skin increased, hot now, but it sank into his bones, filling him in a way he'd never been warm. He glowed from the inside out, for there was no darkness left in him. No darkness, no worry no fear, no demons. The light would rid them, the light would show him how. He didn't drift, he spun. The world spun around him, blinding colors of the spectrum blending with an intensity that he couldn't escape. It was too bright but that didn't matter. He was full with…with…

He spun faster. The light became a pristine white. It hurt. It was too bright. Still he spun.

He spun faster. He hurt. Something was wrong. This was wrong. But it was so much, it filled him, his life was so much now…

He spun faster still. He screamed. This was more than he could take. This wasn't beauty, was it? Could something so good hurt this much? Would it end up tearing him to shreds? Ripping him from the inside out until there was nothing left of the Sage that had once existed? Is that who he even was anymore?

Your name is Sage, a voice whispered. He whimpered as he spun. Sage, your name is Sage, called the voice. Desperately he tried to slow the spinning, to escape this trap he was in. This was so wrong…he screamed one last time as he lost all control of himself, and then everything went black.

Sage woke up on the ground in the shady clearing, on his side and curled up into a ball. His head pounded and his body was shaking, his mind completely disoriented. Weakly Sage pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked around. Everything was the same as when he'd entered the clearing but there was no noise in the surrounding area. The silence was almost as unnerving as tremors that shook his body. Taking several deep breaths, Sage forced himself to sit erect and compose himself. Each time it was worse. It was like meditation, and then he would be somewhere else. Experiencing something else. It left him terrified every time, but like a drug he kept coming back for more. He'd never had an addictive personality, and he told himself that the physical rush wasn't why he kept coming back. That he just needed to know what it was about that certain spot that made those things happen. It wasn't about the rush of energy. It wasn't. He just needed to know…

You're a liar.

Sage had always been brutally honest and it sometimes caught up with him. He wondered if this was all connected to the new Halo armor. Wasn't it supposed to not be evil? Wasn't the whole point that it wouldn't corrupt them? Or was it that pure goodness could be as painful and terrifying as pure evil? Were mortals made to be able to withstand either? Each time he came here, he experienced just a little more until he reached his breaking point. Each time had left him as physically drained as he was now, but still with a sense of fullness and readiness. Like he was being prepared.

Prepared for what?

Did it matter?

As long as he could still get that rush…

Sage snapped his head up at the thought, appalled with himself. That thought went against his entire being. He was all about control and he refused to let himself lose that for some armor induced energy rush.

"Was this what Ryo went through with the Inferno armor?" Sage asked himself softly, standing and brushing himself off carefully. "I always thought he fought himself so much just because of his own personality. It never occurred to me how that must've felt, fighting for each breath."

Sage walked to the edge of the clearing and turned around, looking one last time. Rowen was right, even though Sage hadn't been ready to admit it. The new armors were calling to them and that call got stronger every day. But there was no danger that he could see except for that which stood right in front of him: the armors themselves. Yes, Sage wasn't convinced that good wasn't just as powerful and destructive as evil. His mind told him that unless there was an overwhelming need, the Halo armor should remain untouched. His gut told him that they would still end up using them anyways. His heart was sick at the thought. Quietly, Sage turned and left the woods as he'd found them. Oddly enough, it wasn't until he was long gone that the small blue bird got up the courage to sing again.

Rowen had always enjoyed taking naps whenever he could, and he had the perfect opportunity between his quantum mechanics class and his scheduled lab time to do just that. But like every day at this time in the afternoon for the last two weeks, Rowen couldn't relax. He was jumpy, nerves beyond the normal graduate student stress getting to him. Each time, just out of habit, he called the other guys to make sure that they were okay. Each time they were, although it always took a little longer for Sage to return his call than the other guys. Cye had told him yesterday that he was becoming a mother hen, to which Rowen had told him where to stick it and had hung up.

Still each day it got a little worse around this time and Rowen had narrowed down where the feelings were coming from. And whatever blondie had been up to, Rowen was about ready for him to stop it. Naps at his age were few and far between and he'd deliberately set up his semester schedule for this time slot of peacefulness. Not bothering to call anyone else, especially not Cye, Rowen picked up the phone and dialed Sage's cell. This time instead of going straight to voicemail, at the third ring quiet male voice answered.

"Hello Rowen," Sage said, his voice sounding slightly off to Rowen.

"You didn't even look to see who it was, did you Sage?" Rowen demanded.

"Why would I need to? You do these little check ups every afternoon."

"Then maybe you should stop doing whatever it is that you are doing then," came the blunt reply. There was silence on the other end for a long moment before Rowen heard Sage sigh softly.

"Okay, fine, you win Rowen. I've just been overstressed with my family and it's just coming through to you because we're the closest. That's all. It's embarrassing so I didn't feel like bringing it up."

"That was too easy," Rowen said abruptly. "Either you're lying or something's really wrong."

"I don't lie Rowen, can we not talk about this on the phone please?" Sage asked, sounding very tired.

"You're right, you don't lie, you just bend everyone's perceptions and then smile when they have no idea what's going on. It's a defense mechanism, little boy, now tell me what's going on or I'm going to go over there and kick your bleach blonde butt."

"My butt's not hairy Rowen."

"What does that matter?"

"If it's not hairy then it can't be bleached blonde. Now can we please not talk about this over the phone please?"

"Why? No one can overhear. Now who's being paranoid?"

"Rowen…" Sage's voice was starting to sound exasperated.

"Seiji. Please."

Silence. Then another sigh.

"Okay, fine Touma. You win. But please, not on the phone. And not at the coffee shop either. Just come to my family's dojo and we can talk. Just please don't get the other guys involved, okay?"

"Okay, buddy. I'll be there after lab."

"Fine. Bye Rowen."

"Later Sage."

"Hey Rowen?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem." Across the town two phones hung up at the same time, and two young men felt equal senses of relief. Relief tinged with a disconcerting feeling a little too close to fear.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Hey everyone! Wow, I've been getting a lot of feedback and it's great. Comments or suggestions are always welcome. I've been asked to clarify something. Technically in Ronin Warriors the names Touma/ Rowen and Seiji/ Sage aren't interchangeable. Anyone who has watched the show in both English and Japanese is probably aware that there are consistent differences between the characters in each version. (i.e. My perception of Kento in the English version was always a funny loving, big hearted, but tough guy. Kind of like a teddy bear in armor. In the Japanese version he seemed harder to me, a little more confrontational and truly angry as opposed to excitable.)

Still, in this fic I'm trying to emphasize the closeness between the characters and it seemed that using their Japanese names in personal situations was slightly more fitting than Sage calling Rowen "Ro" or the like. If the discrepancy bothers enough people, I'll think about changing it, so let me know. Also I fell in love with the English version before I ever saw the Japanese version, so when examining the story for appropriate cannon-ness, please keep the English version in mind. (I love it when other readers are as technically obsessed as I am!  )

As always, I don't own the Ronin Warriors…but I still keep trying to kittynap White Blaze.

**Between The Lines**

Chapter Three

It couldn't have possibly been a nicer day, the cool breezes, the warm sunshine, the fresh air. And yet the young man walking down the road couldn't possibly have noticed it less. Hands shoved in pockets, head bent down and black hair falling heavily over his face, the man was lost deep in thought. Feet rising and falling automatically, he was oblivious to the large house that rose ahead of him, with its gleaming windows, fresh paint and well manicured lawns. Behind it one could just catch a glimpse of the huge lake that skirted the back of the property, the sunlight glinting off the calm surface. This man couldn't have cared less.

As he approached even closer, the shade of the surrounding trees falling around him, the man stopped at a noise. Deep within the woods to his left came a deep resounding roar of a large animal. Most would have jumped in fear, and fled to the safety of the house in front of them. Not this man. For the first time that afternoon he smiled, lifting his head slightly, relaxing his stance just a little. Another roar shook the foliage and the man's face split into a smile grin. The sound of movement next to him gave the man just a moment's warning, before a huge white tiger came springing out of the trees and into him, knocking them both to the ground.

"Easy buddy!" Ryo laughed, shaking his head as White Blaze gripped his forearm in his mouth and play bit him. "Easy!" The tiger ignored him and continued to gently maul him, whipping his tail back and forth playfully. Laughing, the warrior of Wildfire pushed the huge tiger halfway off of him and sat up, wrapping an arm around the thick white neck.

"Hey White Blaze, it's been awhile, huh buddy?" The tiger growled deep in his throat and Ryo chuckled at the animal's apparent disapproval. "Don't be mad boy, I've been really busy. And it's not my fault that you can't stay with me in the city."

Okay, so maybe it was his fault, but there wasn't written anywhere on the apartment applications 'Do you have a large exotic pet that will scare the living daylights out of anyone who sees him and cannot be taken to the laundry room with mass quantities of problems?'. No, there wasn't. So Ryo figured that if the landlords had a problem with it then they should have been more explanatory from the beginning. It had taken two apartments and three washing machines before Ryo had given up and left his beloved friend at the Koji mansion. Speaking of which…

"Is she home, White Blaze?" Ryo asked softly, looking for the first time at the structure that loomed over them. The tiger looked at him and did the equivalent of a feline shrug: he yawned and stood up, padding away several feet before sitting down again.

"Guess not. But then again she never is anymore, huh?" Ryo stood and brushed himself off. He walked toward the house, fishing out his key from his pocket, his tiger trailing him. Ryo knocked once and waited. There was no answer, but he hadn't expected any. He unlocked the door and stepped in, glancing around the empty house.

It used to impress him how large her home was, he who had grown up with so little. One day, he had thought to himself, one day I'll have something like this. He'd used to love to be here, the warmth of the rooms, the light of the chandeliers, the hominess that enveloped the entire place. But as normal in his life, the things around him always changed. What was once a home, was now a place he visited to spend time with his tiger. What was once his haven to hide in when the world was too tough outside was now unwelcoming to him. He could never relax here anymore. He hated to admit it but if it wasn't for White Blaze he probably would never have come back here at all.

"For you the world, huh boy?" Ryo joked halfheartedly, moving into the kitchen. "I bet you're hungry." The tiger growled in reply. Ryo smiled.

"Me too. I wonder if there's anything left in here to eat?"

Ryo moved around the large kitchen, poking his head into pantries and cupboards, freezer and refrigerator. There wasn't enough to feed one of them, not to mention two.

"What does she do with all that money I give her to feed you?" Ryo growled irritably. The tiger eyed him then brushed past into a small room connected to the kitchen. Ryo heard snuffling and grunting, followed by a large splat and a satisfied growl. Intrigued, he followed the tiger's footsteps and found him happily munching on a large steak, lying in front of a long white cooler. The aluminum handle had wet nose prints all over it and Ryo went over to try the lid. It swung up easily with a little push. Inside was probably the equivalent of a small heifer, all stacked neatly for easy reach. Ryo shook his head as he closed the lid. Even the floor in this room had a layer of hard plastic mats down to protect the wood flooring from staining. Knowing the voracity with which White Blaze always attacked his food, Ryo could understand why.

"She thinks of everything, doesn't she," Ryo murmured to himself, returning to the kitchen to find something for himself. He finally found a couple bags of tea and a half full container of pretzels. Next to that were a few cans of vegetables. Nothing overly appetizing, but at least it was food. It wasn't as if he had much better back at his apartment. Briefly Ryo let himself reflect back on those wonderful days when Cye and Mia and Kento all tried to outdo each other in cooking the best meal. He and Rowen and Sage had all enjoyed that time, Rowen especially.

After setting the water to boil, Ryo left the kitchen to wander around the house. He always did this when he came over; walking through Mia's place to check to make sure everything was okay. Not that it was likely that anyone had broken in at all. She kept the whole house locked when she was gone except for one balcony door that involved climbing high up on the roof to get to. Hard for a burglar, easy for a large tiger. Had anyone managed to break in, they definitely had a nasty surprise waiting for them in White Blaze. The tiger could be as territorial as the rest of them.

"As territorial as I am," Ryo muttered to himself irritably. It bothered him that he still looked to this place as somewhere he needed to take care of, especially when he knew he wasn't truly welcome. But still…Mia let him keep his tiger there and that was a huge favor on her part. The least he could do was make sure her stuff was in order.

It didn't take long to check the rooms and windows, to make sure the heat was still on and that no light bulbs were out. He didn't like the idea of her walking into a huge dark house all by herself. Yeah, she had White Blaze usually, but lately he'd been disappearing for lengths at a time and no one ever knew when he'd be back. Ryo had received a couple worried phone calls from her about it in the last year. But those were the only calls he'd received from her at all.

What had gone wrong between them? Sometimes, when he was being extra honest with himself, Ryo admitted that perhaps it had been his fault. They'd all been together through so much. And when the armors had disappeared after facing the Black Inferno armor, they had thought that their lives were going to be back to normal. That they would be going somewhere. Then they hadn't. They stood still. They waited and waited and life continued to move around them with its every increasingly faster pace. And they still stood still. Then Suzunagi had come. Then they had reconciled it in themselves that they once again needed to take up arms. They received their new armors and had waited to use them to fight for good.

A year later they were still waiting.

Somewhere between then and now things had changed with them and Mia. Or maybe just him and Mia. She was withdrawn when around him, quiet. When he was around, she found excuses to leave. He missed her sometimes, and the open honest friendship they had once shared. He missed staying up at night and talking about dreams and fears and the future. But her future had come and his had not. She was off jaunting around the world in jets and meeting with important people and he was still…waiting.

Maybe he was just angry that her life went somewhere when his did not. Maybe he was angry that she had left him behind. Maybe it didn't really matter because it couldn't be helped. Like it or not, Mia wasn't one of them. No matter how much they had depended on her, it never changed that at the end of the day, she could always walk away from it if she chose. They never were given that luxury. And maybe he was angry because she had walked away. Maybe…

A brilliant white light flashed in front of Ryo's eyes, and he suddenly felt as if he was being twisted and spun until he couldn't breathe. Pain ripped through his body and intense heat, which he could ignore, but the pain grew until he cried out. He fell to his knees, gripping the thick carpet with shaking hands until the feeling suddenly passed and the light returned to normal. Breathing heavily in uneven gasps, Ryo remained on his knees until he felt a warm body press against him and a worried face covered in whiskers push up into his.

"It's okay White Blaze," Ryo gasped, shaking his head. The tiger remained close to him, and Ryo leaned against him for support. The shrill noise of a teakettle, announcing the boiling water startled him and made him move to stand quickly. Pain shot through his head and Ryo groaned until it cleared away. Ryo stumbled into the kitchen and removed the tea kettle before leaning back against the counter. He shook his head again. Something wasn't right. None of that had come from him.

Ryo pulled a small phone out of his pocket and looked at it. For the last couple weeks around this time Rowen had always called him, just to check up he had said. Ryo had chalked it up to being nervous and over strung, especially since Rowen had been taking some pretty hard classes this term. But now, Ryo didn't know…

He stood there for a long moment before opening his phone and dialing. They had all been waiting. But Ryo wasn't sure that he was ready for what might be coming next.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Hey everyone! Okay, chapter four here we go! If you haven't watched Message, some parts of the dialog might be a little confusing. Also, I found Message to be incredibly convoluted and open to many interpretations (although the Japanese version was a little more straightforward). So my take on what it meant might be different than yours…so let me know if you feel there are huge discrepancies. (Don't worry…I will NOT start talking about swallows or the seasons in this fic. That is my solemn promise.) grins I don't own the Ronin Warriors. As usual, constructive criticism is always welcome. I hope you enjoy.

**Between The Lines**

Chapter Four

"So you…flew?"

"No. I spun."

"Okay."

"What?'

"Nothing."

"Rowen…" Sage sighed as he looked at his friend. Rowen had wasted no time getting over to Sage's ancestral home and now they sat outside on his porch, watching the day slowly turn to dusk.

"Nothing! I'm just saying that for weeks I've been worried off my ass that something was horribly wrong and that the world might be ending again and I find out that all this drama I've been going through was because you were sneaking off to the forest so you could go…spinning."

"…Sometimes I really hate you, you know that?" Sage crossed his arms sternly and glared at his friend until finally the corner of his lip twitched. He valiantly tried to smother it before Rowen saw.

"You shouldn't Sage. I'm very accepting of you. I'm not even angry with you in the least for putting me through all that. In fact, I think it's sort of nice that you have a new hobby. I mean, I tried boxing for a little while. Oh and painting."

"Rowen…"

"Of course neither of those is as interesting as spinning. I went to a few poetry readings and bought a new skateboard…"

"Rowen…"

"And even thought about learning American folk dancing, but man! Spinning! That's like…wow! Amazing! I never would have thought of it in a lifetime…"

"Rowen!" Sage yelled, cutting his friend off. Rowen sat there on his back porch with a huge mischievous grin on his face. Sage couldn't help himself and smiled too, relaxing his posture and moving to sit next to Rowen. The blue haired man laughed out loud and leaned back on his elbows, staring out at the road leading up to Sage's home. After a moment the grin faded and was replaced by a more thoughtful look.

"Seriously, though, what do you think it is? An enemy trying to draw you in?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't feel evil necessarily. These new armors may have been created out of Suzunagi's hatred, but they were made for one good purpose in her mind. She thought by using them to call the Inferno armor and destroying the world, that she would rid life of all hatred and anger. Misguided perhaps, but she meant for suffering to end, not so she could reign in evil. Suzunagi didn't want power; she wanted a happy ending. These armors aren't like the previous ones. They aren't made to turn the wearer into a power hungry slave. So it shouldn't matter if use them or not. Still, I haven't worn mine since the day we received them."

"Neither have I," Rowen admitted.

"Have you wanted to?" Sage asked quietly.

"Sometimes. But it seemed like bad luck, you know? Plus it's hard to blend into a crowd when you are dressed in a gigantic metal suit. Not exactly usual evening wear."

"…Maybe on the holidays."

"Maybe," Rowen agreed.

Sage shook his head, blonde hair still falling over one eye. Rowen briefly wondered just how good at sword fighting his friend would be if he could actually see his opponent with full vision.

"Anyways, Rowen, it's been weird. I feel like my armor has been calling to me, like it's been getting restless. I didn't know at first that it was my armor that was doing the calling, but lately it's made sense. Each time I leave that clearing it's like I've been stripped and emptied and filled with energy all at the same time. My mind's clearer, my body's stronger. I can feel it."

"Should I make a joke about energy drinks?"

"Later."

"Okay…But it hurts you, right?" Sage sighed and crossed his arms, looking down slightly.

"Yes. It leaves me…weak. I can't…" Sage stopped and closed his eyes before continuing. "I can't control it Rowen. I have absolutely no control. It's like I'm a little kid caught in a tidal wave. Only I want it."

Rowen sat silently. It was the first time he'd ever heard Sage admit to any weaknesses. Sure, he was much more open with him than with any of the other guys, but still…Sage must really be unsure if he'd allowed the words to leave his mouth.

"But you don't thinks it's bad," Rowen stated. Sage shook his head again, eyes open now but narrowed.

"No, I said it's not evil. But bad? I don't know Rowen. I'm not sure if the line between good and bad isn't blurry sometimes. My armor's trying to get me to a place, to teach me something that I don't understand, but should any man trust the intentions of a piece of metal? I just don't know."

"The armors are more than metal Sage."

"True. But what else are they?"

"They're us. They always have been."

"…Then why am I the only one experiencing this?"

"Maybe you're the only one settled enough to be able to learn something from himself. The rest of us are too egotistical and self-centered."

"If you're self-centered then shouldn't you take your own opinion as the most important-" Sage started but Rowen cut him off, not feeling like getting into that debate.

"You know what I mean. You're the best equipped to deal with opening up and losing control long enough to learn what we need to do."

"So I should keep doing this?"

"That's not up to me."

"Up to me?"

"No. It's up to Ryo. He's still the leader, and if we're wrong he's got the most to lose." Neither one of them brought up the Inferno armor and the cost of falling under its control.

Sage sighed again. "I'm not sure about any of this, Rowen." Rowen grinned again, standing up and brushing himself off before sauntering over to his car, motioning for Sage to follow him.

"Good thing I'm the smart one of the group. I can be sure enough for the both of us."

Sage stood and straightened his jacket. There were many things he didn't know or understand, but at least the blue-haired ronin in front of him never changed. As they drove off in search of their leader, Sage silently admitted to himself that he found comfort in that.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It probably would have made the entire thing easier if the guys hadn't chosen the exact same restaurant that Sage and Rowen frequented to meet up in to have their "discussion". After the first round of shouting the owner was staring to look a little peaked. He was walking around the place, cleaning already clean tables and hoping the big black haired man would stop jumping up and down and shaking his fists, or that the other two wouldn't glare so menacingly at each other. It was frightening off his customers, like the arguing men this afternoon had done. By the sounds of their voices, it didn't look like anyone was going to calm down any time soon either.

Ryo hadn't been able to get a hold of Sage or Rowen, so it was with Kento and Cye that he now sat, idly twirling his straw between his fingers, staring down at the table top. Cye had been silent for almost ten minutes now and Kento had just finished with his last rant about how they needed to "get out there" and "figure out what the hell was going on". Not that Ryo disagreed, but it's really hard to find the enemy if you're not even sure who or what the enemy was. Despite his wariness, he wasn't even sure that there was an enemy, at least not one that he could see. So after letting Kento and Cye know what had happened, he too had been quiet and thoughtful. Kento was still whacking his hands irritably against the table, muttering under his breath and staring around the place as if he expected to get attacked at any moment. His gaze fell on the restaurant owner, making the poor man flinch and scurry off across the room.

"Are you telling me that you haven't noticed anything at all Cye? Cye!" Kento had turned back to Cye, and was waving his hands in front of the slender man's face. Cye allowed it for a moment before suddenly grabbing Kento's hand and snapping it back painfully. Kento yelped and Cye let go, an irritated expression on his face.

"I've haven't told you anything Kento. In fact I've just been sitting here thinking that I was perfectly content an hour ago."

"So you didn't feel it too then?" Ryo asked quietly. Cye looked away, a small stain of color on his cheeks.

"No."

"Cye."

"Okay, so maybe I did. I got really dizzy and hot and felt like I'd bumped my head. Not that uncommon you know."

"You're in denial."

"Kiss my ass."

"No you are. You think that if we just ignore everything it'll go away. You've had your head buried in the sand for so long now that I'm not sure you could see anything right in front of your face!"

Ryo's voice was starting to get a little heated. But then again he'd never been able to hold his temper. And ever since Cye had realized that he couldn't get away from the legacy of the armor no matter what, he too had developed a temper to rival his leader's. This would explain why the young auburn haired man half stood up in his seat and leaned forward snarling angrily.

"So what? So what if I'm the only one here who has no problem letting all this go. I told you a year ago Ryo that I'm in this now to take care of myself. That's all I have and all I will have, so forgive me if I'm not jumping at shadows too. If I want to ignore getting a migraine at the exact same time every afternoon than that's my prerogative and it's not my fault if you have a problem with it!"

"Oh yeah? You have nothing? Well buddy, I'm sure glad that I spent so much time watching your back in all those battles since I don't count now!" Kento barged in angrily. Cye turned back to his friend and snarled.

"What do you know about it Kento?"

"What don't I know about it Cye? Do you think you're the only one who has had a tough time because of all of this? Hey, I was all ready to take some names a year ago, and I remember someone standing right there beside me!"

"She tricked me you jackass!"

"Suzunagi shouldn't have been clever enough to trick you, Cye. You always knew almost as much as Rowen and Sage. It should've taken more than a little illusion to make the great Cye act like a fool!"

"And it didn't take an illusion at all for you Kento! You just jumped on for the ride. And I'm a fool? This from a man who thought it would be a good idea to jump off a building last year!" Kento jumped fully up, face beet red and fists raised furiously.

"Stop! Both of you! NOW!" The roar of the man next to them brought them both up short. Even now, Ryo was their leader and obeying him came instinctively. It didn't stop them both from glaring at each other as they slowly sat down.

"Stop. This isn't a time to be fighting. Kento, calm down and stop getting in everyone's faces. Cye, like it or not we have to accept that something's going on and that we need to do something about it."

"Do what? Wait to get attacked again? Picked off one by one like with Suzunagi?" Cye asked bitterly. He said her name with a deep bitterness that made Ryo shake his head. Someone was going to have to get through to Cye before he ate himself up inside. Anger was a tough thing to swallow, Ryo knew this well.

"No we stick together this time. We're not making that mistake again. First we need to find Sage and Rowen."

"Well, where are they?" Kento complained loudly. "They're not answering their phones."

Cye sighed and looked irritably at his friend. "Kento you blockhead, can't you feel anything?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kento growled, still angry with Cye. The slender man just shook his head and motioned behind Kento.

"It means that we're right behind you and you should have felt us coming a mile away, buddy." Rowen's blue head bobbed from behind Kento's chair, and he walked up and grabbed the ronin of Hardrock around the neck and gave him a rough noogie. Kento pushed him off forcefully but still gave Rowen a crooked grin.

"Hey man, where you been?" Rowen grinned back but looked at the rest of his team, smile slowing fading. Cye and Ryo both looked stressed and Kento was pretending not to be. Ryo's blue eyes dug into his before moving to the man standing back a little ways behind Rowen, leaning against the door frame, head bent and arms crossed, not looking at any of them. Rowen mentally sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy at all. Their leader rarely missed anything and his eyes were riveted on Sage.

"We have a problem guys," Rowen said softly. As one they all turned to look at the warrior of Halo. Sage looked away.

"Alright Sage," Ryo said gently. "Spill." Sage looked at Rowen briefly before turning to his team and his leader.

"Not here. I'll show you." Bursting with curiosity but knowing better than to try to push information out of Sage, they followed him out of the restaurant and past a very relieved owner.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He took them to the same clearing that he'd been coming to for the last few weeks. Sage wasn't even sure that anything would happen now, since he'd already been here once today. Still, as he entered the clearing and took his normal seat, the same feelings started to swirl around him, feelings of serenity and peace. Of hope and love and happiness.

"This is where everything started happening," Sage spoke softly to the others. They were all looking around and seemed confused. "Do you feel that?" Sage asked them, already losing himself in the glow of those feelings. Kento looked at him weirdly.

"I don't feel anything man," Kento declared. Ryo shrugged as he looked at Rowen. Rowen shook his head. Neither of them felt anything either. Cye was starting to look a little more relaxed than normal.

"It's nice here," Cye said softly, a hint of that happier younger Cye in his voice.

As the others seated themselves in a loose circle around him, Sage already felt himself start to slip away to that other place. He was absently aware of Rowen saying something to him about being there with him, but Sage didn't quite understand. The others were speaking and deep down Sage knew that their voices should be a distractant to him to break his concentration, but he didn't care. He was drifting, drifting along with the tide, feeling himself once again shift slightly away from his grounded self.

The warmth of the sun was increasing on his skin, a feeling that he'd become used to by now. Sage started to drift faster. The light became brighter and brighter until he couldn't see anything but blinding white. The warmth turned into a roaring heat that hurt his skin. Too soon. He started spinning. Too soon. Something was wrong. Something had been wrong every time, but this time more than most. Something very very wrong. He was spinning out of control now, and the pain was starting. No visions this time, only pain. Pain…he opened his mouth to scream.

Sage suddenly stopped and the blinding light flickered as if startled. Something hovered in front of him. Sage's eyes widened and he wavered as it rippled, growing closer and closer. Something grabbed his head and bent it painfully back and his mouth was pried open. Sage tried to yell, to fight back, but his arms and legs felt as if he was being restrained.

_Hold him!…Get it between his teeth!... What's wrong with him!…I can't hold him much longer!… Sage!_

With the last bit of his strength Sage wrenched his arms and legs free of their invisible restraints and struck out at the thing in front of him. The light flashed and he heard terrible roar of pain and, blessedly, everything finally went dark.

_His eyes rolled back in his head…He started seizing… I had to get that stick in his mouth or he would've bitten his tongue…He threw Kento and Ryo twenty feet when he lurched up like that…That was the most terrible scream I've ever heard…What do you think hurt him so bad?…I don't know but let's get him out of here…Good idea, this place creeps me out…Hold on buddy, I've got you_…

He could hear, he knew, but thankfully he couldn't respond and Sage let himself slide just a little deeper into that welcome blackness of unconsciousness, thankful that this time he wasn't alone.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Hello everyone! Sorry about only one update this week but I've been sick since Easter. I don't have much to say, so enjoy the chapter. And no constructive criticism! Just kidding, I'll take all the advice I can get. lol! I don't own the Ronin Warriors, and critiques (good and bad) are always welcome.

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**Between the Lines**

Chapter Five

Cye sat by the edge of the small bed that Sage lay on, watching the steady rise and fall of his comrade's chest as he breathed. He'd been out for almost five hours now, and ever since they had rushed him away from the clearing in the woods next to his home, they had been taking turns keeping a vigil on the warrior of light. There'd been a small fight as to whether they should take Sage to his house or not, but Rowen had insisted that despite his condition, Sage would wake up furious if his family had seen him. The Dates always seemed to overreact when it came to the heir to their line, and even Cye had to admit that taking Sage home would probably end up being more trouble than it was worth. So they had ended up at Mia's, the closest of everyone's homes.

In the corner of the room, Rowen sat snoozing on the floor, long legs stuck out in front of him, and chin resting on his chest. Out of all of them he had refused to leave Sage's side and Cye knew the blue-haired Ronin enough to know the stress on his face included guilt. It had been his idea to go back. No one blamed Rowen, none of them could have known what would happen to Sage, except possibly Sage himself, but that didn't change the way Rowen held himself responsible for the well being of his friend. He was almost as bad about it as Ryo was.

The blonde man on the bed stirred and rolled over, and Cye could see the tension still on his face. Cye reached out and laid one slim hand on his friend's brow. The fever had died down a while ago, but it never hurt to check. Cye's hand tingled as it touched Sage's skin and he inadvertently shivered. For a moment he remained as he was, feeling the miniscule electric shocks that ran up his arm. Cye knew that Sage was somewhat of an empath, more sensitive to his surroundings than the rest of them, but as he sat there Cye could almost swear that he could _feel_ the room. He could feel the presence of the other warriors, that was nothing new, but there was something more that he wasn't used to.

The hand resting against Sage felt warm, the deep inner warmth that comes with relaxing on the grass on a Sunday afternoon. A warmth that soothes and comforts. He could feel little bits of pain coming from his friend, but controlled and restrained. He could feel the worry coming off of Rowen, and knew that he was only pretending to be asleep. He could feel the pull to that side of the room. If he closed his eyes and concentrated on Rowen, Cye could feel an openness, a sense of being small and insignificant under an immense vastness that stretched on and on forever, and feeling one with that vastness. He could see the infinite stars and be swept away in knowing that there were far more than he could ever comprehend. It was beyond anything that he'd ever comprehended. Cye felt himself sink further into that great vastness and the meager insignificance of himself. Suddenly he felt himself get drawn firmly away from those feelings.

"You might not want to use Rowen as your first try into delving, Cye. His armor makes it hard to find your way back." A hand gripped onto Cye's arm and Cye shook himself, like a dog coming out of water. Intense violet eyes stared worriedly at him from beneath blonde hair and Cye forced himself to focus back on the present.

"Delving?" he asked Sage, voice coming out a little dazed despite his efforts.

"Delving. Or whatever you want to call it. Sinking into another person to feel what they feel." Sage was sitting up and watching him carefully.

"You do this?" Cye asked, withdrawing the hand still on his friend's head. Sage was looking at him curiously, but he shrugged.

"Sometimes. Not often. It's dangerous. Especially with Rowen." Cye shook himself again and with a start realized that Sage was finally awake. Jumping up he looked at his friend in concern.

"Sage! You're awake! How are you feeling? What happened back there? Do you want anything? Water? Tea? Biscuits?"

"Those would be cookies. Unless he means real biscuits. But he doesn't usually mean real biscuits. He might not even know what real biscuits are." Cye glared at the blue haired man across the room before turning his back on him deliberately.

"Do you need anything Sage?" Cye asked primly. Sage looked back and forth between the two Ronins and sighed.

"Water," he said softly. Cye nodded and left the room, looking as if he was sorely tempted to kick Rowen as he passed him. Rowen continued to lounge indolently in the corner until the door closed, but was instantly on his feet and at his friend's side as soon as it was shut.

"Are you okay?" Rowen asked quietly. "We're alone," he added. Sage nodded and fell back on the bed, letting a barely audible groan escape his lips. He rubbed his temples gingerly.

"I've been better."

"Seiji…"

"I don't know Rowen. I have no idea what happened. I know things went badly but I can't tell you what. I just remember hurting and…"

"And what?" Rowen pressed. Sage shook his head and barely whispered.

"And being scared."

Rowen sat back and looked at his friend. Schooling his face carefully because he knew how well Sage could read him, Rowen set another insolent grin on his face.

"Well, now that you're okay, I can say it."

"Say what?"

"That you are officially the Ronin Warriors' drama queen."

Even after his ordeal Sage managed to move fast enough to clock Rowen a good one in the side before the Ronin of Strata could jump away.

"Asshole." Sage glared at him from under his blonde hair. Rowen continued to grin at him.

"I try."

Cye returned with a glass of water and a small jar of aspirin, alternating between glaring at Rowen and watching Sage worriedly. As soon as the warrior of trust stepped back into the room, Rowen noticed that Sage immediately forced his body into looking relaxed and pain free. He responded to Cye's worried questions calmly and quietly and quickly had Cye convinced that he was fine, if only a little sore. Cye left and said that they would all be waiting downstairs whenever Sage felt like talking about what happened. He gave Rowen a pointed look when he mentioned that they were letting Sage get some rest before deciding what had happened and what to do. Rowen just smiled brightly at his friend and remained where he was. Cye sighed, shaking his head and left the room once more.

"Aww, Sagie now we can be alone."

"Go away."

"But you're my bestest friend ever!"

"What did I do to deserve this?" Rowen laughed and plopped down next to his friend, drinking some of his water. Sage rolled his eyes but smiled. He knew that Rowen was worried about him, or he wouldn't still be there. Sometimes the approach he took to keeping Sage company was irritating but the intentions were good.

"Sage?"

"Yes?"

"What was up with Cye earlier?" Rowen's voice was serious now and Sage knew what he meant.

"He was delving you, but I don't think he knew what he was doing. You're the wrong person to try that stuff out on."

"Why, because I'm so incredibly intelligent and complex?" Rowen asked cockily.

"Because you're an airhead. It's hard to find your way back." Rowen shot Sage a dirty look, but immediately his face scrunched up and he started rolling the jar of aspirin around in the palm of his hand.

"Delving…that hasn't happened in a long time." Sage looked at Rowen but knew better than to say anything.

"I didn't think that Cye knew how to do it," Rowen continued.

"I think we all can in our own ways, but usually if we really want to know something extremely badly." At this Rowen's eyes narrowed and Sage pressed on quickly. "But Cye seemed to be doing it inadvertently. And he was projecting what he was experiencing into me. That's what woke me and I brought him back. He shouldn't be wandering around doing that kind of stuff, not without help."

"He didn't seem to know he was doing it."

"Probably not," Sage agreed. "I think Cye's changing."

"He changed a year ago Sage. Did you happen to miss that?"

"That's not what I mean. I think we're all changing, being adjusted."

"That's what happened to you earlier?" Rowen asked sourly, muscles tightening as he gripped the aspirin jar. "The seizures and screaming and tossing us around like rag dolls. Just growing pains?"

"Stop it Rowen," Sage chastised him gently. "I'm fine so let it go. And it wasn't your fault so don't try to pull a Ryo on me." Rowen merely grunted but after a moment relaxed and settled back against the short headboard, again rolling the jar down his arm and over the back of his hand.

"Okay, so we're changing. Cye can delve. Go."

"Cye's never been truly empathic before, but now it seems like it might be coming on him. Gentleness and empathy are different. In the woods I could tell that he could feel some of the same things I did. For a moment he looked almost at peace again."

"So why now? What's changed to start this in him?"

"The armors? I'm not sure. Cye's fought fighting for so long. He was always afraid of the natures of the armors. And whether Suzunagi tricked him or not, he still made the decision to fight. He has to accept that before he can truly come to terms with what he is going to eventually have to do here."

"So you're admitting it, that something is going to happen."

"Of course it is Rowen. Why did we receive new armors if it wasn't?"

"So we're all changing, but is it for the better? You don't look any better."

"Forget me, will you for a moment? We're talking about Cye."

"Cye's scared, Sage."

"Aren't you?"

"Maybe." Rowen rolled to his feet and started pacing around the room, tossing the bottle of aspirin over his shoulder and catching it behind his back. The look of concentration was back on his face.

"We're still missing something here. Something that's right in front of my face and I just can't seem to see it."

"Like what?"

"Like why each of us is changing the way we're changing. Think about it Sage, you're the only one who's in direct contact with his armor, and it seems like that's not a particularly safe idea. But that aside, Cye is becoming empathic. Why? Why is the guy most likely to keep his head buried in the sand being inadvertently shown what others think and feel? Why are you being forced to lose control when that's what you pride yourself on? Oh don't look at me like that, you know it's true."

"Fine." Rowen glared at Sage for interrupting his train of thought.

"Anyways, why? Why, why, why? Why just you and Cye? And not the rest of us?"

"It isn't just the rest of us."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning that it's you and Ryo and Kento too. Maybe bizarre things aren't happening yet to you three but it involves all of us. Think about it, we usually take Kento for granted and assume that he's fine no matter what. But this waiting has been killing him. He never was the patient type and he keeps getting more impatient by the day."

"You're getting to it Sage."

"Ryo can't handle being alone. He's been alone all his life, except for White Blaze and then us and Mia. Now he rarely sees any of us and him and Mia had a huge falling out. He's virtually alone in his day-to-day life. It's hard on him, and he hates it. He still hasn't come to terms with whatever it was that happened between him and Mia. He looks like a lost puppy half the time. He just can't handle being alone but he always is."

"And me?"

"You always need to know what's going on. For a year you've progressively become more and more anxious and, for a lack of a better word, quirky. You're restless and irritable and go on rants about anything and everything, trying to discover the ultimate meaning of everything."

"Because I don't know the answer to what I really _need_ to know. What's going to happen next," Rowen finished for Sage. He was starting to get excited and he paced faster.

"So we're all changing or being forced to change because of situations that we don't like. Control, loneliness, fear, patience, or lack of knowledge. Those things are what drives us and hurts us and makes us less of what we need to be."

"So this year was designed to push us out of our comfort zone, not that we necessarily were in it anyways. But what can control our lives like that? Some new demon? It's so subtle!"

"No Rowen, you're missing it still. It's all us. It's the armors. They are doing this and we've been fighting it. We have to be able to get past our weaknesses to be stronger. It's our demons we're fighting now."

Silence, then Rowen paused at the window and stared out of it.

"Sage, when we were in the forest and you were seizing, you screamed out and struck us. What did you see?"

"…"

"Sage I need to know."

"Haven't we decided that needing to know is your downfall?"

"Sage…"

"Alright, alright…" More silence.

"Sage?"

"I saw myself, Touma. I saw myself." Sage's voice was almost inaudible and he had once again closed his eyes shut.

"Then why did you fight so hard?" Rowen pressed confused.

"Because it was the most terrible thing I'd ever seen in my entire life."

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There was silence in the room when Rowen was finished. Cye stared out the window next to him, watching the reflection of the moon in the ripples of the water. Ryo stared down at his clenched hands in his lap. Even Kento said nothing.

Finally it was Cye who broke the silence.

"I'm not empathic. I can't do any of those things that Sage can. I barely can tell what I'm thinking myself."

"Cye…" Rowen started.

"I'm not being ridiculous Sage!" Cye shot out angrily before gasping and turning white. Sage just merely looked at him. Cye turned away, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Kento shook his head.

"Okay I don't know about all that stuff," he said, "but I for one can admit that the waiting has been driving me crazy. I can't focus. I hate not knowing what's next, what might be around the corner to get me, or all of us. I'm not scared, I just hate the waiting."

"Kento's not the only one that hates the waiting, but maybe we have to, you know?" Rowen ventured. "Maybe this is supposed to show us our weaknesses and make us stronger fighters."

"How exactly is playing off of our fears and weaknesses supposed to make us stronger?" Ryo asked softly, tiger blue eyes much harder than his voice. The intensity made Rowen take a small step back.

"I don't know. Maybe if we learn to get over them then it will be better. Maybe we'll know more about what's going to happen."

"We don't know anything's going to happen." Ryo spoke again, voice still disturbingly soft .

"Were you not there today, man?" Rowen asked, voice getting heated. "When my best friend started going spastic because of his armor? Did that tree you landed in not leave a huge bruise on your back too, or was that just two Kentos?"

"What we saw, Rowen, was Sage play with something he didn't understand, that none of us understood. He's sure it was his armor doing this. I'll trust that. But I don't trust anything else about this."

"You should Ryo," Cye whispered softly. "Because they're right."

"How do you know?" Kento demanded, still slightly irritated at Cye from earlier at the diner.

"I just do." The knowledge seemed to pain him and Cye once again turned away. Ryo stood and crossed the room, standing right in front of the tall warrior of Halo.

"If we put on these new armors, will we all lose it like you did today?" It was a harsh question and anyone else but Sage would have reacted in some way, but the blonde man merely shrugged at him. Ryo stared at him and Sage unblinkingly stared back. Finally Ryo nodded, seeming satisfied, but with what the others didn't know.

"We put on the armors. All of us. We see what happens, and see how we're affected. And we…" At this Ryo trailed off, a distant and sad look in his eyes before he continued.

"We deal with our own issues. On the off chance Rowen is right then maybe we'll have a heads up on whatever's coming."

"So we all agree at least that far, that we're being prepped for something?" Rowen pressed. Their silence was answer enough. Whether they wanted to admit it or not they all agreed.

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They would all do this by themselves. It was a personal thing that didn't need any onlookers, even among themselves. It was more than one worried man that moved out into the surrounding countryside as the sun broke over the hills. It was more than one man who took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly before calling his armor to him. It was more than one man who quivered in anticipation and dread when the metal wrapped itself around his body. And it was more than one man who fell to his knees, gasping, as this new armor took control. As this new armor showed them, one by one, what it was that must be done. And it was more than one man who wept silently in the corner of his mind from knowledge that cannot be unlearned.

And somewhere far to the north and somewhere far to the west, two women simultaneously gasped and looked over their shoulders, towards Japan, and towards something they had prayed would never come again.

A/N #2 Okay I guess I do have some stuff to say. I've decided that this is sort of an interlude piece that is meant to let everyone get to know the characters all over again, their relationships, and how they've changed since they were the teens we all know and love. I'm also trying to introduce some ideas, such as delving (empathically getting into another's psyche without their permission), and some personality quirks of the Ronins. This was primarily Rowen/ Sage centric but don't expect the next one to be. There may seem like there's a certain lack of action, but I didn't see the point of filling this full of action and battles and not having the reader understand just what those battles meant and their long-lasting effects on the Ronins. There will be battles, there will be action and fighting and demons and struggles, but all in their due course. So this is the end of this piece. Don't worry, I know nothing is resolved, but more is coming immediately (you all know I love to update). Thanks everyone for sticking with this and I hope you read the next part.

Also a special thanks to Teahleafs, Meira Evenstar, Inda, Arie Under Pressure, Haleykim and everyone else who reviewed this story. You guys are awesome!


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